The Olivet Nazarene University Board of Trustees announced last week the establishment of the Martin D. Walker School of Engineering, a milestone that underscores the dramatic growth of the university’s engineering program.

In a career spanning six decades, Martin D. “Skip” Walker epitomized Christian business leadership in guiding and growing a number of leading manufacturing and business enterprises. He and his family have supported countless industry, corporate, and nonprofit organizations through volunteer service. The Walker family has demonstrated strong support for Olivet’s engineering program.

“Skip Walker has had a distinguished professional career as an engineer and business leader, including senior leadership roles with General Motors, Rockwell International, M.A. Hanna Corp., and other industry leaders," said John C. Bowling, Olivet president. “But in addition to his professional success, he represents the qualities and values we celebrate as an Olivet community. His life reminds us that success is not just about titles and positions, but also about significance, which flows from a life of faith, service, and generosity.”

Walker’s career began in the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. He went on to work for American Motors and Rockwell International. Walker also served as chairman and CEO of M.A. Hanna Corp. before joining MORWAL Investments.

He has served on the board of directors for ArvinMeritor, Comerica, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Lexmark International, Textron, Timken, and a number of groups serving engineering, manufacturing, management, and education. He has been a business advisory board member for Carnegie Mellon University and Northwestern University.

Walker is a former trustee of Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, where he earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. He also completed the Stanford Executive Program and an advanced management program at Michigan State University. He resides in Carmel, Indiana.

“The Walker School of Engineering exists to produce engineers of the highest professional acumen,” Bowling said. “Olivet engineers also see themselves as ‘missioneers’— individuals who eagerly involve themselves in tangible mission opportunities designed to bring engineering knowledge and hope to developing world areas through design, science, and innovation. They are trained leaders equipped for success and eager to be men and women of faith and service.”

Olivet engineering continues to expand

The establishment of the Walker School of Engineering coincides with continued expansion of the engineering program at Olivet. Since its inception, the engineering program functioned as a department within the School of Professional Studies. In recent years, Olivet engineering has grown dramatically as a nationally recognized program that enrolls the second-highest number of majors among the university’s undergraduate offerings. Beginning fall semester 2015, the program expands to add architectural, chemical, and civil engineering to its areas of concentration, which already include computer, electrical, geological, and mechanical engineering.

Olivet’s newly named School of Engineering is housed in the engineering wing added in 2014 to the Reed Hall of Science on the university’s main campus in Bourbonnais, Illinois. To further accommodate the increase in majors and expansion of curriculum, Olivet is overseeing construction to customize 22,000 square feet on the first floor of the Catalyst Innovation Center, a newly acquired facility in Bradley, Illinois, near the Bourbonnais campus. The center will offer modern amenities that provide a creative working environment for Olivet senior engineering projects, business training, and additional activity that supports entrepreneurship, research, and innovation. The engineering space is scheduled to open in fall 2015.

--Olivet Nazarene University